Sorry Allan, it looks like I am following round you on this board challenging your views, and that isn't the case!

I'm interested in the above statement you make. What have Wigan done that was so impressive this year, that the RFL haven't?

Wigan sent their marketing team to the USA in the close season and linked up with baseball / american football clubs to see how they marketed events / clubs etc. Wigan took what they gleaned and applied it to Wigan RLFC. Mick Hogan did a superb job until he left for Sale but Simon Collinson has been fantastic for the club and still is.

The RFL marketing has never been very good IMO since David Howes left and that is a long time ago.

Wigan sent their marketing team to the USA in the close season and linked up with baseball / american football clubs to see how they marketed events / clubs etc. Wigan took what they gleaned and applied it to Wigan RLFC. Mick Hogan did a superb job until he left for Sale but Simon Collinson has been fantastic for the club and still is.

The RFL marketing has never been very good IMO since David Howes left and that is a long time ago.

I have praised Wigan's marketing efforts on numerous occasions this year, however I have also praised the RFL's too. Compared to most SL clubs Wigan's has been excellent, but I still have not seen them do anything that the RFL have not also done.

Limited cheap seats for the Big One 2 - the RFL started that last year with £10 Wembley seats

TV advertising - the RFL started that with the WCC this year

Group tickets - Family tickets were introduced by the RFL for all major events

Links to amateur clubs - the RFL provide all sorts of incentive schemes for amateurs for major events

Email promotion - the RFL use this method over and over

Direct Mail - as above

Website promotions - the RFL are very proactive in this area.

I don't particularly think Wigan have done anything particularly revolutionary or different, I just think they have been pretty committed to it and happy to invest in this area, with good results.

For me, Castleford's is perhaps the most surprising. They've not had a bad season, they missed out on the play offs by a gnats wing yet their crowds have dropped alarmingly. Perhaps there is a good explanation I am missing. Bradford's crowds are well documented but Castleford have lost almost as many in terms of percentage.

Several significant reasons.

Our first two home games of the season - Warrington and Hull KR - who bring large crowds were on Sky. That massively affected our crowds.

Then the game against Leeds was on Sky, again knocking off a few thousand I guess. Not to mention both Bradford (re-arranged to 11:30am due to World Cup) and Catalans (played on a Tuesday night!) were altered.

As it is, nearly half of our games have been affected by changes.

Then, if you couple that in with our mid-season form, that explains the drop.